Love In the Heartbeat of a Day
by Lady Persephone
Summary: IK It was impossible. Simply inconceivable. There was no way that Kagome was dying...that she would disappear from his life as Kikyo had. He would simply not allow it. He turned away from Kaede and vanished inside the hut. RR some SM
1. Prelude

**WOW This has definitely been a challenge. I would say that I have had this idea for at least two years. This first scene has been excruciatingly difficult to write. Forgive me if it is not particularly clear or wordy. I tried my best. Thank you for reading! And don't forget to review and tell me what you think**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha

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Love; In the Heartbeat of a Day

Prelude

By Lady Persephone

_/You know when you give your love away_

_It opens your heart_

_Everything is new_

_And you know time will always find a way_

_To let your heart believe its true\

* * *

_

"Shippou! The needle, NOW!" A small pale hand darted into the basin of steaming water grasping the small thin piece of metal tightly, ignoring the blisters that would undoubtedly follow. The small, rigid pin was passed hastily to a pair of shaking, withered hands.

The wound was extraordinary. Wide, hungry lips ate away at the skin surrounding the yawning gash. Like water released from a dam, thick vermillion blood coursed steadily onto the woven mat covering the dirt floor of the small medicinal hut.

"Push harder Sango! Too much blood has been lost already!" Commanded an unsteady yet firm voice. The woman named Sango glared fiercely at the wound with new determination as she added pressure to the blood-soaked cloth covering the injury. "Better! Yes much better! Now, I need you to remove the cloth slightly so that I may try and close the wound. But that cloth will not do…" A grey, beady eye hurriedly scanned the hut until it rested on a small copper haired youth. "Shippou! Fetch a clean rag for Sango! We do not want to risk infection." The youth nodded with wide glassy eyes, not daring to disobey. He immediately snatched a new rag and shoved it into the steaming basin. Tears stung at his eyes are the scorching water scalded his tiny hands. Ignoring the pain, he passed the hot rag to Sango who stared at him with great sympathy as he proceeded to wash the used cloth.

The hut was silent, save the heavy, raspy breathing of the victim lying unconscious on the floor. The tension hung on everyone's shoulder's as the quivering creased hands of the medicinal witch clenched the hot needle threaded with a thin string above the gaping injury. Slowly, the needle was lowered and pierced the lips of the wound. The needle was pulled clean through the skin and then proceeded to force the edges of the injury together.

* * *

The cool midnight breeze was cool and calming as Kaede ducked under the woven flap of the hut and out into the night. She closed her eye and breathed the clean air deep then let out a long, mournful sigh. She opened her eyes and gazed sadly at the young man pacing back and forth in front of the hut, obviously unaware of her presence. She sighed once more and walked slowly to the clean basin of fresh rainwater that had collected in the early evening. She cupped her aged hands together and slowly slid them under the glassy surface, Carefully; she lifted her hands out of the water and observed halfheartedly how the water spilled beautifully over her hands and back into the basin. She brought the water to her face and treasured how cool the water was as it fell over the deep erosions on her aged face.

"I know what you are going to ask me." She told the night simply. The young hanyou waiting behind her flinched as he noted the tiredness and exhaustion in her tone.

"Is she going to be alright?" He demanded, not caring that she had anticipated the fact that he would abandon his pride to ask her, His amber eyes glowed with such intensity that it made Kaede want to ignore his question all together if the answer meant extinguishing the fire in his eyes. She sighed heavily once more and noticed the blood that was caked underneath her fingernails. He would have to realize the truth eventually.

"She is going to die tomorrow." She told him, meeting his eyes humble truth. "Maybe even tonight…There was nothing I could do even to ease her pain." His eyes were unchanging; not processing properly what she had just revealed. She continued, "Perhaps if I was younger, and more powerful there might be something that I could do." His expression still did not waver. "There is no changing things that are inevitable. I'm sorry InuYasha."

It was impossible. Simply inconceivable. There was no way that Kagome was dying. That she would disappear from his life like Kikyo had. He would simply not allow it. He turned away from Kaede and vanished inside the hut.

* * *

To mere human senses she looked dead. Like the pale and unforgiving hand of death had already stolen her soul to the black lands. But to the keen senses of a demon, her labored, raspy breathing was easily noticeable. Like the beads of sweat on her forehead that slid down her face and into her already sweat matted hair. The wound was covered by several bandages that worked to put pressure on the wound and to keep the ties that held the wound together in place. The blood was leading through. Her tattered uniform was removed and replaced with a thick grey robe and numerous blankets to help prevent an inescapable rising fever.

To the sharp and peerless senses of a demon, it was clear that she was dying.

"Could you leave for a moment Sango, Shippou, Miroku?" For a second he saw refusal on their faces, but then it was gone, and the left the hut one by one, sparing one last glance at Kagome. Once he was sure that they were gone, he smiled sadly at his best friend as he watched her fight for his life. "Shhh" he murmured softly as she moaned in her sleep, her face contorting in pain. "It's alright," he whispered softly, I'm here." He traced his finger from her forehead to her jaw line. "I'm going to save you." There was no doubt in his mind. She was going to live. He was going to make that possible, His pride abandoned and forgotten; he smiled once more at her and then lifted her into his arms. She let out a strangled yell as her wound tore at her abdomen. He knew the others would not hear for he knew that they had taken Shippou off to the temples to pray. He continued to murmur comfort into her ear as he stood and left. The hut.

He leapt into the air as smoothly as he could manage. He knew that he could not survive without her. He knew that there was no way on Earth that she could die. He knew exactly where he had to go.

He landed softly on the soft autumn ground, barely noticing the crisp of brittle leaves beneath his bare feet. He stared at the God tree and then at Kagome. There was no doubt in his mind. His gaze turned to a woman in traditional miko garb bearing a striking resemblance to the girl cradled in his arms. Silver soul dragons swam in the air around her. She eyed his with cold, stony eyes. He met stare with an equally unyielding gaze, "Fix her."

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**Well There is the prelude for you. I know this is short and I promise that the others will be longer. Its just I needed you to get a feel for the story and give you a little taste of what's to come. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review and let me know what you thought. If I get enough positive feedback I can get started on the first chapter immediately. Thank you for reading!**

_Persephone_


	2. Sacrifice

**Oh my god! I was so shocked at the feedback that I got! I never expected this many reviews after only a couple hours of having the story on the internet! It really made me happy. As promised, here is the next chapter. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha

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Love; In the Heartbeat of the Day

Chapter 1: Sacrifice

By Lady Persephone

_/You know love is everything you say_

_A whisper, a word, promises you give_

_You feel it in the heartbeat of the day_

_You know this is the way love is

* * *

_

"_Fix her."_

"InuYasha." She acknowledged faintly, her eyes softening. "It has been a while hasn't it? Since you have come to visit me." A shadow of guilt flickered over his eyes but was instantly replaced with determination. "I have been here every night for the past two moons and you never came to me once." Her gaze fell to the girl in his arms. Slowly, she padded through the brush until she was standing only a few feet away from him; in arms reach…if he wanted to reach. "We have some things we need to talk about." Her pale skin glowed as blue soul dragons weaved between the trees around them. A smooth strand of beautiful ebony hair caught in the cool midnight breeze and danced playfully around her. She was so peaceful.

"Kikyo I need you to cure her. I _know_ that you have the power, the youth, everything that Kaede doesn't have. Now please, _fix_ her." He pleaded desperately.

"Oh InuYasha…" she nearly sounded sympathetic. "Can you not see? Her soul is already leaving her. It will take some time, until morning I suppose. She is dying. There is no amount of healing that could cure her now." He searched her eyes and found no lies.

"Impossible." He told her simply, disbelief clearly evident in his eyes. She was smiling ever so slightly, turning up the corners of fiery red lips. "Do you find this amusing! Do you find the fact that she will be dead by morning _entertaining_?" he demanded, failing to notice tears gathering in the corner of his eyes.

"Do not accuse me of such harsh thoughts." Her voice cautioned, but her eyes were not wary, nor spiteful. She looked almost…kind.

"Kikyo, please," he stepped closer. "I'm _begging_ you." His face was fierce with resolve. "I will do anything that you ask of me."

"We were never in love." She informed him softly ignoring his pleas. "The bond that we shared was nothing more than a need for companionship." He opened his mouth to object. She stared at his wistfully. "True love cannot be so easily tainted." From the stunned expression written across his features Kikyo could tell that he was thinking of the same day that she was. The day they had died. She stared at Kagome once more. She was panting heavily as her deadly fever climbed. "You are in love now, InuYasha. Aren't you?" He did not answer. She sighed heavily, almost in exhassperation. "You haven't changed at all. You need to make up your mind."

"She's my best friend. But she doesn't understand. She doesn't know what it is like to be alone. You always did."

"Would you wish that loneliness upon her?" she asked.

* * *

_The cherry blossoms drifted carelessly on the late spring breeze. The grass on the hill was soft and lush beneath their feet as they walked together._

"_When we are married, things will be different." She informed him._

"_How? I will be me and you will be you. That is all that matters." She shook her head as he spoke and he stared at her._

"_I will no longer be a priestess. You will no longer be a hanyou." His face turned grim as she continued. "We will have children…and a hut in the village. We will grow old and die together."_

_He could not look her in the eyes. He gazed up at the late afternoon sun that was sinking slowly into the mass of trees beyond the village. His forest. InuYasha's forest. It would not be his forest after they were married. He would no longer be able to protect Kikyo from harm; he would not be able to smell demons from miles away, or even to detect what she had added to the rice to create a subtle zesty flavor. He sighed_

_Kikyo glanced at him. He was doing it again. Whenever she brought up life after marriage he would be silent and gaze into nothing until he could forget it. She knew that he didn't want to change; to become normal. But that was what she needed from him. A normal life. Just like he needed her companionship._

_They did not speak the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

_

"Never."

"Put her down." She told him gently. "You are aggravating the wound." At first his hold on the young woman tightened but he hesitantly complied and laid her down on a soft patch of grass in front of the Goshinboku.

"You are willing to sacrifice anything?" she asked tentatively.

"Anything." His resolve was absolute.

The forest was quiet save for the lonely whisper of the evening breeze lacing between the stiff amber leaves still clinging to life.

Finally she spoke.

"Would you sacrifice me?"

* * *

The alter was dimly lit with nearly one hundred candle surrounding the statue of the goddess of healing. Three figures kneeled with their foreheads touching the cold grey stone. They remained absolutely still, sending their prayers for their dearest friend.

"I got some flowers." announced a small voice from behind them. They turned. A teary eyed you boy with coppery hair clutched a small bouquet of wildflowers tightly in each hand. His nose ran and he wiped it with the back of his sleeve. "Kagome's gonna be okay. Right?" He asked quietly.

"Oh Shippou!" The woman at the end of the alter rushed to her feet and enveloped the small boy I a tight embrace. He hugged her back fiercely and began to wail. The flowers floated to the floor of the alter, forgotten. "It'll be alright. Everything will be fine." She cooed softly as she rocked him. She gazed down at him sadly. He was only a child!

She looked up when she sensed a presence behind her. She met Miroku's pained amethyst eyes and felt like crying herself. She choked back a sob. She lifted a sniffling Shippou into her arms and stood. "We should check on Kagome."

Kaede rose from the temple and went to join them.

* * *

"What?" he asked bewildered.

"I can cure her at the price of my own life."

"How is that possible?" he asked, dazed.

"Her soul has already begun to leave her body. No amount of physical treatment could cure her now."

"Then how? How can it be done?" he demanded.

"The day that I was resurrected. I was given part of her soul to sustain my own life. I can return that to her body but I will die."

"Your soul collectors?" he found himself asking.

She shook her head solemly. "They are only to preserve my strength. They cannot keep me alive."

He was silent for a moment. The world stood still.

"Kikyo," he walked up to her and grasped her small delicate hands. His eyes glittered passionately. "There is no way that I can live without her."

She smiled sadly at him. "So be it." She turned her gaze to Kagome. "However, I will warn you. There will be consequences. The portion of her soul that I have retained will have stayed with me too long. There will be changes."

"What kind of consequences?" He asked, dismayed.

"There will be physical changes, Perhaps even some emotional alterations at well. I cannot be certain."

"Emotional changes?" he asked worriedly.

"I do not know for certain, InuYasha." She stared at him hard. "This is her only chance for survival."

"Then please. Save her." He pleaded once more.

"She will not be completely healthy." Kikyo cautioned seriously. "The wound will still require several months to heal." She glanced at Kagome. "Also, my soul might not be enough to sustain her life while she is still wounded." She gestured to her soul collectors. "They will serve her when she requires it."

He nodded grimly.

She looked almost desperate now. "Please InuYasha. Take heed to my warnings. Her stare softened "Try not to forget me. Goodbye InuYasha." Before he had time to react. She pressed her lips against his then quickly pulled away. "Now I must ask you to leave us." He nodded bleakly. He spared a last glance at Kagome.

He started back for the village but turned and walked back to Kikyo. He enveloped her in a great embrace free of any form of intimacy. "Goodbye Kikyo."

* * *

"What in the hell!" Miroku ducked under the flap to the hut only to find it completely empty; devoid of all traces of InuYasha or Kagome save the lingering stench of blood.

"What's wrong?" Sango asked from outside the tent, a slumbering Shippou in her arms. When he did not answer, her voice became panicked, "Has something happened to Kagome! Where's InuYasha!" Shippou was startled awake and became alarmed. Was something wrong? He wriggled from Sango's grasp and dashed through Miroku's legs into the medicinal hut.

"Where's Kagome!" He cried.

InuYasha dragged his feet out of the forest. He was in shock. Kikyo, the woman he had loved for more than fifty years was going to die because he asked her to.

"You _bastard_!" Suddenly InuYasha found himself slammed up against the wall of a hut. Miroku glared at him with pure hatred. "Where is she? How could you go to Kikyo at a time like this!"

He shoved the enraged monk off of him who instead of calming down, roared with fury and charged at him again.

"Miroku!" Sango grabbed the monk and held him back before he seriously hurt anyone. "Miroku calm down!" She cried, though she could barely contain her own rage.

"I did _not_…" then he stopped. He had gone to Kikyo, but not for the reason that they were accusing him of! He would never abandon Kagome like that!

"Well!" Miroku demanded, temper barely under control. "She's not in the hut. Where did you take her! Sacrifice her to Kikyo so that she might consider taking you back!" he taunted.

"Miroku!" Sango cried as he fought her restraints. "Calm _down_." Slowly he relaxed and resorting to clenching and unclenching his fists as he grounded his teeth together.

"Now InuYasha, tell us what is going on!" she demanded.

"I…" He stared hard into the forest. Was that a person?

"Answer the damn question InuYasha!"

Yes it was a person. A woman. Clad in traditional miko garb and carrying a bow and quiver in her hand. It was Kikyo.

"Kikyo! What the hell have you done with Kagome!"

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**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that people enjoy my work. **

BlueBlood: YAY! First reviewer! (showers confetti) thank you so much! I'm really glad that you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the suggestion, however I had already written this chapter in advance and it would have been way too much of a hassle to change haha. Thank you anyway! I'm ALWAYS open to suggestions

Hearii-Sama: I'm so glad that I've got you hooked! I really appreciate that you took the time to review my story! Thank you!

Aku-Neko: Thank you for appreciating the difficulty of that beginning passage. I hope I didn't butcher it too badly. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Kitty1989: haha thank you so much for reading! And but of course there is more! I won't go back on my word! Here's another chapter!

Fire-Tiger-C: Thank you so much for reviewing! Haha I'm so glad I got you hooked.

Simonkal of Inuy: I'm so glad you asked! You're the first one to ask about that! Well you'll find out in a couple chapters I'm guessing as I reveal exactly how she got hurt in the first place! No one has asked that either. As for the Sesshomaru thingy, well, I never really even considered putting that in the story because they weren't really just gonna wait around for her to die. Also, InuYasha can't exactly beat Sesshomaru up haha Oh and about your last concern - that I might not update, I PROMISE that I will finish out this story no matter what. I cannot however guarantee that I will update every day. You see, I have an extremely busy schedule with final exams, sports, and things like that getting in the way. But I promise I will do my best.

Young Kagome: Thank you so much for taking the time to review! I really appreciate it!

Inumyhomeboy: I'm so glad you enjoyed the beginning. And by the way, I really like your name! haha

Siren of Sorrow: Thank you for reviewing! It means a lot to me!

Alyssa: Hi I'm sorry that I wasn't able to email you! My email is down. I have to check my reviews through my profile. Thank you for reviewing!

Magna Dreams: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!

Lil-Neko-Child: Thank you for your review! I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

Kawii inu'no 45: Well I hope that answered your question somewhat. You're just going to read the next chapter to find out what happens next!

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**Woohoo! Cliff hanger! Haha I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope that all you readers enjoyed this story. Same rule if you wanna read more your gonna have to review! Thank you! By the way, I'm sorry to disappoint any Kikyo haters out there. There are just too many stories out there turning her into some bitchy slut-bag. Sure, she isn't my favorite character, but I think that I should try my best to keep her original character. However, I am aware that her whole sacrificing herself may be a tad unlikely so I apologize for that minor detail. REVIEW**

**Persephone **


	3. Consequences

**Here we go again! Here is the third addition to this story! Oh and I just wanted to let you all know the title is Love; In the Heartbeat of a Day. With the little semicolon thingy. It didn't show up on the display page and the title takes on a completely different meaning. Sorry that was just really bugging the hell out of me. I don't want anyone to think that love happens in a day in this story. The title is just saying that love is everywhere. Anyway. Thanks for letting me tell you all. Now enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha

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Love; In the Heartbeat of the Day

Chapter 2: Consequences

By Lady Persephone

_You know love may sometimes make you cry  
So let the tears go they will flow away  
For you know love will always let you fly  
How far a heart can fly away

* * *

_

"_I can feel it. We're close now." Kagome observed pulling her navy sweatshirt tighter around her. It was definitely not summer anymore. She shook her tousled crow's wing hair free of a stray leaf and was thankful that her mother had convinced her to bring her sweats. _

"_Would you hurry it up already!" Complained InuYasha as they treaded through forest. At the rate she was moving, they wouldn't get there for another day and a half at least! She refused to ride on his back for fear of missing out on the scenery. This was so typical! Sango and Miroku had stopped almost a day ago to make camp and wait for Kagome and InuYasha to return. _

"_Oh be quiet. The shard is stationary and it hasn't moved anywhere for nearly four days." She scolded gently as she tossed his a friendly glare. "Besides it's so pretty out today!" She laughed and tossed her head back; marveling how beautiful the zealous orange and fiery red leaves were as they were swept from their branches by a playful wind to dance with the crisp autumn breeze. She spun around, enjoying the way the colors of the trees blended together as she twirled faster and faster. Finally, she couldn't keep her footing any longer she tumbled into huge pile of leaves beneath a giant oak. She let out a cry of delight as she was buried by the fallen leaves._

_InuYasha couldn't help but smile at her childlike foolishness. She was so silly. He waited by the pile of leaves, but they did not stir. Had she hurt herself falling? Perhaps she fell into a demon burrow and was being cooked as he waited outside! He rummaged through the pile frantically for any trace of her. _

"_aHA!" She cried triumphantly as she grasped his clawed hand and dragged him into the leaves with her. With no time to react he toppled into the mass of fallen leaves along with her. She was rolling on the ground with laughter. Clutching her stomach as InuYasha stumbled into the leaves. He stared at her bewildered as she let out one of the most unlady-like guffaws he had ever heard in his life. It sounded somewhat like a snort. His face turned red with embarrassment but pretty soon, he was chuckling right along with her. "Oh that was priceless!" she giggled as she calmed down…slightly. She scooted over towards InuYasha so that they were both lying on their backs together staring at the multicolored leaves decorating the massive trees of the forest. "Told you it was pretty."

* * *

_

"Kikyo, what have you done with Kagome!"

He began to sprint towards her, Sango and Miroku forgotten. Her silhouette was clear in the moonlight, yet something wasn't right. Suddenly he stopped. The figure was not Kikyo. But it wasn't Kagome either. Her sleek black hair was long, to her lower back, yet it was wavy and curled slightly at the end. Her body looked so delicate and fragile, like a porcelain doll. Slowly he walked closer. The moon reflected off tears that slid over pale cheeks. Her eyes were downcast and her lip quivered. The oak bow and quiver slid from her fingers and clattered against the cold, hard earth. She was shaking. Slowly, she met his eyes. "Who am I?"

"Kagome," he murmured. He ran to her and surrounded her in a powerful and protective embrace. She did not return it. Instead, she only sobbed. After only a couple minutes. She collapsed into his arms. He cradled her small body in his arms. Her face was tearstained and strangely mature. He studied her features. She still retained her delicate nose and stubborn chin though her cheekbones were more defined and the warm summer glow she had so proudly achieved from spending countless days under the sun was lost to a pale and pearl-like white. Tears stung at his eyes. He prayed to all the gods he could remember that these were the only 'consequences' of her survival. Carefully, he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the hut.

* * *

Everything was very strange. It was as if she was opening her eyes for the first time. The pale glow of a dimly lit candle was enough to make her clench her eyes shut and promise herself never to open them again. The light was so intense. And the smells! Oh the smells. Rich incense assaulted her nostrils as it burned modestly in the corner. Everything seemed so, so, _foreign_ to her. Her hands grasped blindly around until they found what she would guess would be an empty basin, though she dared not open her eyes for fear that the light would burn them again. The texture felt new on her hands, though she knew it was supposed to feel like this. She knew that her fingers should slide easily over the sanded wood with ease and dip in where the water could be stored. She knew everything that was supposed to happen, but doing it felt so new.

She strained her ears. People were arguing heatedly in low whispers outside her hut. If they were trying to be discrete, why were their voices pounding into her eardrums? There was no way to close her ears to the sound. She frowned despite their voices echoing in her head, she couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Suddenly she was startled by a choking sob. Someone burst into the hut and sat beside her. Daringly, she cracked open one eye. Big mistake. The light hurt so badly! Who lit that dumb candle anyway? She did catch a glimpse of the figure sobbing beside her. It was a young woman. With long raven hair and very pretty magenta eyes. She knew that this was Sango. Why was she crying? Did the light and smell hurt her eyes as well? Maybe it wasn't just her. Perhaps something happened to create such a terrible sensation when the light touches your eyes. Could it have been a demon? Maybe. She would ask Sango.

Kagome opened her mouth but found that her mouth had some trouble forming words. Like it was something she hadn't yet learned to do. Instead of asking the civilized question that she wanted to. She let out a slur of random sounds and some gurgling-like blabber. It wasn't _exactly_ what she wanted to say, but it got Sango's attention. "Oh Kagome!" she cried. When Kagome didn't answer for fear making another embarrassing sound, she panicked. "Oh don't you recognize me? It's me Sango." What was she talking about? Of course she remembered her. She only saw her yesterday. Did she think she was some kind of retard? Sango then proceeded to sound out her name. As embarrassing as it sounds, it did help a little. Kagome mimicked the slow exaggerated movements Sango made with her mouth and soon she recalled how to speak and form her mouth around the shape of the words. It was so embarrassing to forget how to speak! This had never happened before.

"Sango?" Kagome asked tentatively for fear of the reaction (and the embarrassment of her wobbly speech). What on Earth was going on?

"Kagome!" Sango shrieked and threw herself at the young woman. Good thing she prepared herself for a dramatic reaction. Oh how her ears ached. Sango then continued to sob and tell Kagome how scared she had been. What the hell was happened! Had the village been attacked while Kagome was off somewhere? Kagome needed answers. She squinted her eyes and glanced around the room, still cautious of the light. Where was everyone?

"Sango what's wrong?" Sango stopped fussing for a minute. Kagome was beginning to regret that she had asked. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. Sango gazed at Kagome with such terrible sympathy. Oh no! What had happened? "Please Sango; I need you to talk to me. What happened? Is everyone alright? Is it Shippou oh kami tell me that he is alright." Sango continued to shake her head as Kagome rattled off the names of everyone they knew. Finally she mustered up the courage to ask the one question she had been dreading. "Sango did something happen to InuYasha?" oh no. no. no. no. This could not be happening! Something had happened to InuYasha.

"Oh Kagome! It's you!"

"What?" she was confused. She felt fine. Well other than the fact that she was having trouble adjusting to the light and that horrible incense was about to suffocate her. Oh yeah. There was that dull ache in her abdomen. She had figured that she was getting her period. Suddenly she spied something lingering outside her window. It was a soul stealer. That was why Sango was acting so sympathetic. InuYasha had gone to Kikyo again. But something wasn't quite right. Usually whenever InuYasha decided to chase after Kikyo Sango and Miroku would work really hard to conceal it from her for fear of hurting her feelings. And that also didn't explain why her eyes felt like she was going blind or the fact that she had practically forgotten how to talk. And then there was that ache in her stomach. What the hell was that? It didn't feel like cramps. Propping herself up onto her elbows, Kagome shoved the thick blankets around her off and slowly untied her robe. She felt a strange sense of foreboding…like she _really_ didn't want to see whatever her robe was covering up. Slowly, she unwrapped the robe. Oh. That was it. Blood.

And she fainted.

* * *

It was really hard to understand InuYasha sometimes. Really _really_ hard. Miroku continued to argue with him outside. The pale glow of morning was visible on the horizon but Miroku could care less. What the hell had be been thinking taking Kagome to Kikyo. "You could have talked to me and Sango or at _least_ Kaede before you ran off and scared us out of our wits." Miroku whispered furiously.

"She was dying, Miroku." InuYasha argued back with equal ferocity.

Miroku struggled to keep his anger in check. "How do you know that?" He watched InuYasha open his mouth to retort. "Don't even try to tell me that Kikyo told you so." He threw his hands in the air. "For all you know, Kikyo could have been lying. Maybe she placed herself in Kagome's body to get another chance at living." InuYasha was livid. Miroku could tell. He didn't care. "Have you forgotten that she tried to kill Kagome _more_ than once! Why the sudden change of heart?" InuYasha looked like he was about to explode and possible kill Miroku in the process. But that didn't faze Miroku in the least. How could he be so reckless and endanger Kagome's life so selfishly?

A loud sob broke up the argument quickly. Miroku rushed into the tent to comfort Sango without a glance back at InuYasha. InuYasha didn't bother to go in. He held Kikyo true to her word. Kagome would be fine as long as she rested. That didn't make him feel better though. On the contrary, it made him furious. How _dare _they accuse Kikyo of such trickery! He paced back and forth to vent his anger. Deep in the corner of his mind he was starting to worry. Kikyo would never do something like that….right?

"InuYasha. Stop wearing out the earth." InuYasha looked down startled at his feet. He had practically dug himself a ditch with his pacing.

He quickly walked over to her and began to speak in heated whispers once more. "Did you hear what they were saying about Kikyo!" he demanded. "Did you hear what they were accusing her of!" That is absolutely ridiculous.

"They have a right to be worried, InuYasha." She told him matter-of-factly. "She is their friend just as much as she is yours." He opened his mouth to tell her that she was more his than theirs. She was his. Then he closed his mouth. "Isn't she?" Kaede pretended that she did not notice his speechlessness. "Ah it is simply beautiful." Sighed Kaede as the first rays of sun shot through the trees. "_Told you it was pretty."

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THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR REVIEWS

Hearii-Sama: I agree with you 100 that Miroku was a little bit OOC, I just wanted to establish kind of like brotherly protection between Kagome and Miroku. Thanks for the review!

Katy: Don't worry, I don't have any such plans…YET haha jk Thanks for the review!

Kirah Ocean: Haha your one of the two reviewers who picked up on that! Good job! To be completely honest, I'm not sure how I'm going to introduce Kouga to the story yet!

Kagomesdouble07: Well, not quite. They will be introduced subtly over time. This chapter is about more of the effects on everyone including Kagome! I hope you enjoyed this new chapter!

Ryo-truesdale: Congrats! You're the other reader who picked up on that! And thank you for appreciating that someone had to die. It is really sad, even if Kikyo wasn't the most popular person.

Aku-Neko: Thank you so much for the great review! I'm so glad you're happy with the way that I portrayed Kikyo. As for what's to come of this transformation, you're just going to have to keep reading! I hope you enjoyed.

Fire-Tiger-c: I'm so glad you agree with me, that Kikyo really isn't a bitchy manipulative whore! I mean she does screw things up once in a while, but that's no reason to completely destroy her character! Thank you for the review!

MangaDreams: Thank you for the review! And I hope you enjoyed this new addition!

Blueblood: I can't exactly reveal what's going to happen! You're just going to have to keep reading! Thanks for the review!

BlooRose: I hope this chapter explained a few things and answered your questions! Thank you!

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**Not really a real cliff hanger this time. I let you all off easy lol Well What did you think? I wrote that one a little differently. I hope I made it longer for you. There really wasn't much more room in that chapter for any more ideas. I tried writing it from peoples point of view without actually writing it is 1st person. Please tell me how it worked out. Thanks for reading. There will be some more consequences to come next chapter! Review!**

**Persephone**


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